· History
The Rural Aid Action Programme works in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Based in Hain in the Jirapa-Lambussie District, it was founded in 1998 by several local university students who envisioned forming a group capable of advocating for the rights of poor and marginalized people. Eventually the idea matured into RAAP, an organization devoted to developing communities so that they can advocate for themselves. RAAP currently has operations in every district within the Upper West Region.
As a Non-Governmental, Non-Profit organization, RAAP’s mandate is to combat poverty in low-income, food deficit communities through the initiation of sustainable community development projects aimed at assisting the poorest of the poor to increase their food and income security while improving their health and educational status. RAAP concentrates its activities in specific areas and communities, and targets marginalized groups, including self-help women groups and their families, providing them with technical and financial support to improve their livelihoods.
Our Vision
A world without poverty in which peoples rights are fulfilled.
Our Mission
To assist small-holder farmers, the poorest of the poor, to fight poverty by enhancing food security, healthy living, education and protecting the natural resource base through a sustainable integrated programme.
Our Goal
To work in partnership with international development agencies, government, communities, and civil society groups to secure, improve, and sustain the livelihoods of resource-poor people by increasing their capacities and skills to influence policies and practices that affect them.
Strategic Objectives of RAAP
1. To contribute to the enhancement of the livelihoods security of resource-poor men and women.
2. To contribute to the improvement of the health status of the poorest of the poor
3. To support communities initiatives to provide quality education
4. To contribute to the realisation of women and child rights
5. To promote the campaign and advocacy against all forces that cause and perpetuate poverty and gender inequity.
For its first couple of years, RAAP was a crew of enthusiastic and energetic young volunteers who had a desire to create change. A communal spirit and a passionate desire to improve the lives of marginalized and vulnerable groups in rural communities was RAAP’s sole motivation. They tried to cushion their lack of financing by paying for the initial programmes from their own pocket.
Since its inception RAAP has been based in Hain, a village in the Upper West Region of Ghana. RAAP was officially registered as an NGO in the year 2000 when the entire Hain community came together to pool their money, donating over 300 000 cedis and two cows in order to finance the registration. Important initial contributions were also made by the local District Assembly and by several international volunteers working in the area.
One of the most incredible things about the formation of RAAP is that it grew in the village of Hain; a difficult place for an NGO to get its start. Initially the village had no access to phones; and when coverage came in 2000 the staff was still made up of only volunteers who couldn’t afford the new technology. Any calls that RAAP made were from a payphone outside of the newly constructed cell-phone tower down the road. To make matters worse, the village had no electricity until 2004, well after most of RAAP’s programmes had taken root and it had attracted most of its major sponsors. Though the supply of electricity is not always reliable, it has proved instrumental in RAAP’s continued growth, allowing the organization to access the computers and printer that were donated to it.
However, despite these and many more obstacles, RAAP successfully grew to become an effective and powerful organization; disproving those that claimed that “something couldn’t come from nothing.” Driven by a strong sense of volunteerism and community development, RAAP owes its success to the many volunteers who continue to donate their time and energy to the cause. Proud of its roots, all of RAAP’s core staff continues to live in rural communities to this day.
The initial intention of RAAP’s founders was to form a formidable student group to advocate for the rights of poor and marginalized people. However, they soon realized that focusing their work simply within student issues would not have sufficient impact. They recognized that their local community members found themselves helpless; everyone sat around expecting handouts from the government. This meant that if government failed to act, little or no developmental changes would be registered within the rural communities. Having identified this vacuum, RAAP saw it as a challenge to galvanize the support of their community members to take matters into their own hands. Thus, the organization was transformed from a proactive student union to a powerful organization devoted to community development.
From 1998 to 2003, RAAP’s work fell under the category of “Small Mixed Programme.” With a handful of small donations and a very thinly staffed office, RAAP implemented programmes with demand driven support; their activities were based on what the local communities defined as problems. It was during this time that the staff learned PRA/PLA Tools in community development, thanks to a workshop put on by a Canadian volunteer in the region.
Between 2004 and 2005 a lot of effort was made to institutionalize the various programmes into a more coordinated strategic direction. It was in this time that RAAP’s three thematic areas were developed: the Integrated Livelihoods Programme, the Education Programme and the Health Programme. In addition to this, Advocacy and Gender were identified as important areas; their work runs consistently throughout the three areas. In 2006 RAAP created the Leadership Development Centre (LEADEC), which, in addition to running workshops and meetings for the above mentioned areas, provides unique and relevant trainings for locals, from business management to communication skills to customer service.
Equity and participation – RAAP stresses the need to build genuine relationships with local communities based on understanding, trust, and mutual respect. An underlying principle of our development approach is participation. In all collaboration with partners, RAAP stresses the central importance of active participation of local communities, especially women, in every stage of the development process, from problem/ issue identification right through to impact assessment. The fact that women are marginalized in these patriarchal communities means that they will continue to be poor because they cannot own land, cannot access credit for agricultural activities and therefore cannot control vital resources for themselves and their families. This reality is rooted in some practices and belief systems that need to change; the participation and influence of women is crucial. RAAP draws on existing facilitation and mobilization strategies traditionally used within local communities, as well as techniques common within Participatory Rural Appraisal methodologies. This approach changes perceptions, practices and beliefs, ensuring that women’s rights are respected and protected.
Building on what is there- rather than inventing systems and structures, or importing methodologies of working, RAAP builds on what already exist in each community. The programme is based on understanding and then responding to communities through the involvement of traditional mobilisers. Once we have the understanding of the realities of each specific context, our facilitators and staff can use a range of facilitation techniques to bring about change of redundant or harmful practices and attitudes towards human rights. Linking these traditional techniques with modern participatory methodologies can ensure that programme initiatives emerging from the process are seen as legitimate by the community.
A process approach- which empowers poor people to focus on their comparative advantage whiles they make choices and decisions.
Long-term commitment- an essential component of the process approach is a willingness to work with a community over many years.
RAAP remains dedicated to organizational transparency and accountability. To ensure this, there are three levels of management:
· Board of Trustees: Highest policy-making body of RAAP. Oversees the overall workings of the organization and approves decisions made by the staff and volunteers.
· Staff: Core staff with professional backgrounds implement programmes and monitor progress in the local communities.
· Volunteers: Support core staff in programme activities and outreach services.
More than 8 years of engagement with communities has deepened our understanding of the root and structural causes of poverty. This has enabled us to appreciate the fact that poverty is about power relations. We also believe that the poor have the potential to address their own situation when given the needed support. Our identification and solidarity with poor and marginalized people has made us committed to their cause.
We have a strong presence in the poorest communities, and are thus in close touch with local communities. We also have the ability to link communities to decentralized institutions as a result of our good reputation and networking with local level agencies, and lastly we believe in, and often link our developmental activities to traditional indigenous knowledge and culture of the poor and marginalized people we work with.
RAAP stresses the need to build genuine relationships with local communities and organisation based on understanding, trust, and mutual respect. An underlying principle of our development approach is participation. In all collaboration with partners, RAAP stresses the central importance of active participation of local communities, especially women, in every stage of the development process, from problem/ issue identification right through to impact assessment. The fact that women are marginalized in these patriarchal communities means that they will continue to be poor because they cannot own land, cannot access credit for agricultural activities and therefore cannot control vital resources for themselves and their families. This reality is rooted in some practices and belief systems that need to change; the participation and influence of women is crucial. RAAP draws on existing facilitation and mobilization strategies traditionally used within local communities, as well as techniques common within Participatory Rural Appraisal methodologies. This approach changes perceptions, practices and beliefs, ensuring that women’s rights are respected and protected.
Rather than inventing systems and structures, or importing methodologies of working, RAAP builds on what already exist in each community/ districts. The programme is based on understanding and then responding to communities through the involvement of traditional mobilisers. Once we have the understanding of the realities of each specific context, our facilitators and staff can use a range of facilitation techniques to bring about change of redundant or harmful practices and attitudes towards human rights. Linking these traditional techniques with modern participatory methodologies can ensure that programme initiatives emerging from the process are seen as legitimate by the community/ CBOs. This is all part of RAAP’s process approach to development; empower poor people and CBOs to focus on their comparative advantage and allow them to make the decisions.